Wednesday, April 14, 2010

When I was a young Texan, all the other kids teased me mercilessly at birthday parties and backyard barbecues because I liked to put mayonnaise on my hot dogs. I know, right—who does that? My family certainly didn’t teach me this as I come from a long line of mustard eaters and obviously, none of my friends put mayonnaise on their hot dogs either. Imagine my shame when I had to ask the hostess for a jar of mayo so I could dress my hot dog. It was terrible. But on my last trip home, however, I finally figured it out. I’m not weird at all—I’ve just been eating Mexican hot dogs my whole life.

To the uninitiated, a Mexican hot dog is a dog that’s been wrapped in bacon and fried. Sometimes it’s served in a split bolillo, but often it’s found in a regular bun as well. Toppings often include pickled jalapeños, guacamole or fresh avocado slices, beans, and generous squirts of mayonnaise, ketchup and salsa, though a dash of mustard isn’t completely unknown.

Mexican hot dogs are popular in the Mexican state of Sonora—and are sometimes called Sonoran hot dogs—though you can certainly find them in other parts of the country. While Arizona has had a thriving Mexican hot dog scene for years, they have recently become quite popular in Houston as well. And that’s where I had my first Mexican hot dog—outside the Fiesta near my mom’s house. The bacon-wrapped dog was a beauty, drenched in mayonnaise and jalapeños—I had at last found my ideal dog.
Now, Texas isn’t really regarded as a hot-dog state; wrapping a slice of soft white bread around a spicy jalapeño beef sausage is more our style. But we definitely eat hot dogs, so if you’re selling them or making them, why not top them with the flavors that we love? Mexican hot dogs are perfect for Texans! They haven’t really taken New York City by storm yet—there’s only one place that I know of that serves a close approximation, so if I really want one I have to make it myself. I don’t mind, however, as what could be more simple and satisfying than a hot dog? Plus, it allows me to get a little creative with my toppings.

One of my deviations from the typical Mexican hot-dog script is I like to add a pineapple salsa on top of mine. Pork and pineapple are a classic Mexican combination and I feel the bright sweetness helps balance some of the heaviness. I also make a quick, homemade chipotle mayonnaise. This recipe is adapted from David Leite’s brilliant milk mayonnaise recipe—which uses milk instead of egg yolks to create the emulsion with oil. It’s a little softer and lighter than regular mayonnaise, which also makes an ideal companion to the richness of a bacon-wrapped hot dog.

Warm days definitely signal that it’s hot-dog season. And if you haven’t had a Mexican hot dog yet, I know that you’ll love it. And heck, even if you find mayonnaise on a hot dog bizarre, when you’re eating a Mexican hot dog you just might change your mind.

Method:
With a fork, poke a few holes into each hot dog and then wrap each hot dog in a slice of bacon. On a medium-hot griddle, cook each side of the hot dogs until bacon is crisp.

In each bun, spoon in some beans and avocado. Place bacon-wrapped hot dog in bun and then top with condiments.
Chipotle mayonnaise (adapted from David Leite)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup cold whole milk
1 teaspoon of lime juice
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 to 1 whole chipotle chile from a can of chipotles en adobo
3/4 cup of canola oil
Pinch of salt

Method:
In a blender, mix together the milk, lime juice, garlic and chipotle chile for 30 seconds or until well blended—it will be a light pink color. With the blender on high, slowly drizzle in the oil a tablespoon at a time. The mixture should begin to thicken. Continue adding oil until it’s thick and custard like. Salt to taste. Will keep for five days in the refrigerator.

Note: It’s important to use whole milk. I tried it with buttermilk, goat’s milk and low-fat milk and it didn’t work as well as it should. Also, I found that olive oil imparted a bitter flavor, so it’s best to stick with neutral-flavored oil such as canola.

74 comments:

Oh my! OH MY! I think I may have found the perfect dog! Thank you, Lisa, for this and for the chipotle mayo recipe as well. I love that stuff.

I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, and when I was in high school we'd sneak across to the discoteques in Reynosa. We'd drink and dance and then buy hot dogs from the street vendors at midnight. Funny how they knew those crazy gringo kids would be crazy about those muy delicioso hot dogs, which served a dual purpose: they satisfied our hunger and camouflaged the smell of alcohol on our breath so we wouldn't get busted by our parents!

I grew up eating Mexican hot dogs in downtown Los Angeles, in the garment district. The vendors serve them from elaborate taco trucks all the way down to tiny wire push-carts with miniature grills precariously attached. They all come wrapped with bacon, and they also grill up sliced onions and jalapenos. I never took mine with mayo (hate it), but I love them loaded with onions, jalapenos and mustard! Yum.

I saw an episode of "Food Wars" on the Travel Channel last night about two restaurants on Tucson Az. that are locally famous for Sonoran hot dogs. I never heard of these before! OMG, they look great! You can bet I'll be making these soon, thanks to your serendipitous article. Thanks so much for this.

These look so fantastic and summer-y - I can't wait to make them for Memorial Day (yes, my head is already onto Memorial Day). I think I may want to try these bite sized to go with the sliders I'm making and the duck deviled eggs. I have no idea why I've gone with small food for the BBQ, but that seems to be where its at.

This looks so good. I live in AZ and my husband worked at a convenience store for years in a mostly Hispanic community. He would watch the customers pile their hot dogs with mayo, pickled jalapenos, black pepper and cheese. It sounded so unusual that it had to be good. Now we pile our hot dogs the same way. Your dog has taken this to a whole other level of Mexican Hot Dog Deliciousness. I am running out to buy propane to grill up some dogs. Thank you!

oh golly. you best believe this is the first thing going on our grill this year! i have become a huge fan of the "Chicago dog", which MUST have mustard, which i used to hate, and I'm now envisioning a "hot dog party". yup... that's my kind of party!

Nice to know I'm not alone. I grew up with "mayo dog sandwiches" which were made with Wonder white bread, slathered with mayo wrapped around a grilled hot dog. I've been putting mayo on my hot dogs ever since. I think I know what's for lunch this weekend!

You know, I've never really cared for mayo, but I sure like the sound of this chipotle mayo recipe.

I'm a native Central Texan and I just have to tell you how much I enjoy reading your blog and cooking your recipes! Your biscuit recipe is, honest to God, the first one that EVER worked for me. I had no idea whacking them with a rolling pin would do the trick. But my husband says they taste just like the Loveless Cafe's in Nashville, which I gather is high praise indeed.

And I have a loaf of your jalapeno cheese bread in the oven right now.

I was in Copenhagen in February and they serve what is called a fransk hotdog. A few variations are offered, but most are wrapped in bacon and served with a remoulade sauce. Lots of pickled stuff offered as toppings too.

Probably not too far off from your Sonoran variety, except for the jalapenos.

The pineapple salsa is totally brilliant! Mexican hot dogs have really not made it out here to the East Coast but I tried on ein Los Angeles and almost died - in a good way. Yum! I am for sure making these with the salsa on top. Love it!

Here in Philly a dog wrapped in Bacon fried with cheese and jalapeños is known as a TEXAS TOMMY. I discovered this treat after moving here from NYC. It never occurred to me that it might not actually be Texan, but I would be curious to know more about the origin of the name.

Of course yours sounds more delicious, especially with the pineapple! I too love pineapple and pork. Thanks for another great post. I love reading this blog first thing in the morning. It gets me started on the right foot.

This looks delicious! I have always eaten hot dogs with mayonnaise, but we were made fun of because we pronounced it the Southern Mississippi way of: My-naze. It was traumatic enough to make me learn to pronounce it the way everyone else does!

These look delicious! Will have to try it. I grew up in San Antonio (in NY now) and never had or heard of these type of Mexican hot dogs. For us, we considered our "crispy dogs" Mexican hot dogs -- corn tortilla wrapped around a weiner and fried for a few minutes in oil. But I also had to have mayo on my "American" hot dog. We added the canned chili/no beans, cheddar cheese and tomatoes on top. The combo of chili and mayo was great!

Thank you for this post. Cannot wait to try this salsa and dog. I used to work at a strip one story office complex and the guy next door brought his grill and would grill hot dogs frequently for lunch. Bacon/jalapeno and mayo. Never thought to ask him about his method, he was obviously from Texas. Always wanted to try it and never did. Thanks for the reminder. We're just usually mustard folks or chili dogs.

While I'm not really a hot dog "person", this does sound good! I think it ranks right up there with a Chicago-style hot dog as far as yumminess factor goes. Love the jalapenos with the chipotle mayo - and the pineapple salsa would be a delicious accompaniment!

My son, who will turn 5 this summer, loves both hot dogs and Mexican food. We're planning a Mexican/Tex-Mex themed birthday party for the kids (both kids happen to have the same birthday.) He will go crazy for this hot dog! Yum.

In Los Angeles, the most creative hot dog stand we have is called Pink's. You can get a Lord of the Rings dog (with the dog slipped through the rings then placed on the bun) or even a Martha Stewart dog (with bacon, tomatoes, onions, kraut and sour cream).I say as long as it sounds like it'd go down easy with an ice cold beer, a hot dog it is indeed! Yours sounds delish.

Oh my, i love naughty bacon dogs. Here in SF, primarily in my neighborhood, the Mission District-the colorful, diverse, Latino area, we have bacon hot dog carts that pop up in the evening hours and stay until after the bars close! The 2am bacon hot dog might just be my favorite food yet, topped with jalapenos, onions, ketchup and of course, mayo! Just follow the smell and you'll find a cart!

Holy crap that looks amazing! They have a bacon-wrapped hot dog at Crif Dogs that is my favorite late night snack (er...meal) EVER. It's much simpler, though, I think the only toppings are avocado and sour cream. Never thought to recreate it myself - or add more toppings - but I will have to give it a shot!

I feel vindicated now since I was the only one eating the miracle whip on my hot dog growing up, and still do. The boy scouts didn't have any last fund raiser and I was seriously bummed and got some serious looks. Never thought to put the pineapple salsa on one, though I have on a hamburger. Maybe the bumped up mayo will please the guys.

As a MD girl who recently moved to Texas, I am thoroughly enjoying exploring the whole Tex Mex food culture. I had not idea that I would like it so much. Good bye crabs, hello queso. BTW, my husband, and now my kids, put peanut butter on their hot dogs. The first time I brought my boyfriend (now husband) to a family picnic, he had the nerve to ask for peanut butter for his hot dog!

I lived in Denmark for a while-- they LOVE mayo on hot dogs. And katchup, 3 kinds of mustard, remoulade, a weird katchup/mayo hybrid, chopped onions, fried onions, pickles, yum! Seriously, the Danes know how to do it right.

Having grown up in Tucson, Arizona, I love me a good Sonoran hot dog. I will be the first thing I eat when I go home from Egypt. I love the addition of mango. Thanks for your lovely blog - I helps me to reminisce about all the lovely tex-mex, south western, and Mexican food I miss. Cheers!

When I was a kid, I ate mayo on hot dogs and hamburgers, too. My mother--ever the genteel Dallasite--was horrified. But my hick roots just wouldn't be denied. I wanted mayonnaise. She always looked at me as a kid and said, "I reared you better than that." (You can tell her genteel roots because she refused to say "raised," used "reared" instead.)

We had a variation of these for supper. I put them in flour tortillas instead of buns. I wouldn't recommend using thick sliced bacon, because it was difficult to get the inside (against the hotdog) cooked. Otherwise, these were delicious!

Made these last week - EXCELLENT -will make at least once a month - not too hot and the pineapple gives them a nice balance of flavors. I thought my husband was going to get sick - he ate too many but loved every bite.

I lived in Chile for two years, where they put mayo on their french fries. I was grossed out at the idea until I actually tried it. Then I had to put myself on a FF moratorium (Chile has wonderful potatoes) because my pants were getting tight and as a Peace Corps volunteer, I didn't have the money to buy more.

I am not crazy about hot dogs, but I think I will try a bacon-wrapped bratwurst soon.

Growing up in Georgetown, TX and now living in Belton, hot dogs have to be Taylor Meat wieners with lots of Miracle Whip and onions. Sometimes we add jalapenos, chili and cheese but they always have Miracle Whip and onions.

Taylor Meat wieners are firm and very red; they are good boiled but are best grilled with a little char on them!

Sounds like I need to make a run to HEB so we can have hot dogs and Shiner for supper.

thank god for your post! i like mashing my avocado up and adding mayo with it and having that as my hot dog topping. And if i'm in a hurry then a good squirt of mayo is a plenty --i got weird looks too, but now i have a culinary backing ;)

Having backpacked around Peru, Chile, and Argentina, I associate hot dogs covered with miscellany with South America. Chileans in particular seem to be really into putting pretty much every kind of other food on top of a hot dog... we saw hot dogs that had tiny french fries on top of them in a number of cities, in addition to the usual avocado, all sorts of condiments, cheese, and more. Mayo, mustard, ketchup, hot sauce - these were standard.

I returned from my travels thoroughly unimpressed with the American version, I have to say.

I too am a Homesick Texan. I've been living in exile for 29 years in Buffalo NY. (third iceberg from the right) Your recipe looks amazing and will find it's way into my kitchen. I have to tell you that a few years ago, we stopped at one of the local hot dog stands. I took a deep breath and ordered a chili dog with onions and mayo. They guy working the grill spun around, looked at me and stated "You're from Texas" Being rather taken aback I said yes, I was. He then told me that in 17 years of owning the hot dog stand, he had THREE people order their dogs my way, and ALL three were from Texas!! Now when we stop for dogs, he just laughs when I place my order.

oh thank God I'm not the only one that must have mayo on my hot dog!!!! I always mix it with ketchup and mustard, but the BEST hot dog I've ever had was from a hot dog cart outside Hermosillo, Mexico. Guac, mayo, chilis and the works! thanks for the recipes!